Watch: Chinese astronauts set new record of longest spacewalk

Two Chinese astronauts set new record of the longest spacewalk surpassing the earlier one set by NASA astronauts

Beijing: Two Chinese astronauts set new record of the longest spacewalk surpassing the earlier one set by NASA astronauts.

Chinese astronauts, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, created history during their spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station two days ago, spending over nine hours conducting Extravehicular Activities (EVA).

The mission, part of China's three-person Shenzhou 19 mission, took place from late Monday night into Tuesday morning, according to officials with China's Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO).

Spacewalk Video

Don't miss the Shenzhou XIX crew members' first #spacewalk.

Check out the review! [CMS] pic.twitter.com/9E6t35UoKL

— Chinese Space Station (@CNSpaceStation) December 19, 2024

The two Chinese astronauts bettered the previous record of 8 hours and 56 minutes held by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts, James Voss and Susan Helms, since March 2001.

"A Significant Milestone"

The successful Extravehicular Activities marks a significant milestone for the Shenzhou 19 mission, which docked with the Tianong station on October 29 this year and is set for a six-month stay.

The record breaking spacewalk of Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong also broke a previous Chinese record of Astronauts Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu who spent 8 hours, 23 minutes outside Tiangong space station in 2022.

The video footage released by Chinese space agency showed the astronauts leaving the Wentian lab module. They were tethered by safety cables during the EVA.

Their work was supported by robotic arms and team coordination. Wang Haozhe, inside the station, assisted throughout the activity. More spacewalks and experiments are planned for the current mission.

Also, the record-setting EVA was the 17th overall outside of Tiangong. China's first-ever spacewalk was performed by Zhai Zhigang, commander of the Shenzhou 7 mission, in 2008.

Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.

Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.